DURHAM, N.C. – The 21 members of the Duke field hockey team earned Ronald McDonald House Charities Duke Student-Athlete of the Week honors after advancing to the NCAA Championship match for the fourth time in program history and the first time since 2005.

Head coach Pam Bustin’s squad was selected the No. 4 seed in the tournament and hosted first and second round action at Williams Field at Jack Katz Stadium Nov. 16 and 17. The Blue Devils outscored their opponents 10-2 over the two games, topping No. 16 New Hampshire and No. 10 Massachusetts to advance.

In Friday’s national semifinals in Norfolk, Va., Duke knocked off top-ranked and top-seeded Maryland by a 3-2 score with seniors Paula Heimbach and Emmie Le Marchand and junior Jessica Buttinger providing goals. Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Lauren Blazing and the defense kept the Terrapins off the board for over 41 minutes as the Blue Devils moved on to a national championship meeting with No. 4 Connecticut.

The Huskies jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the title match Sunday and despite a strong attack effort from Duke, held on to capture the NCAA championship. Sophomore defender Hannah Barreca, senior defender Paula Heimbach and senior forward Emmie Le Marchand were all selected to the 2013 All-Tournament team.

The Blue Devils concluded the fall with an overall record of 17-7 and a No. 5 ranking in the final 2013 Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I Coaches Poll.